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Snoopy
Snoopy is a fictional character in the popular comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. The pet beagle of main character Charlie Brown, Snoopy debuted on the strip's first week, in October 1950. He is one of the most recognizable and iconic characters in the Peanuts franchise, including the original strip, its television specials and feature film adaptation. He was ranked by TV Guide as the eighth-greatest cartoon character of all time, and in 2015 he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Snoopy has been a regular staple character in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1968. So far, he has had more unique variants of balloons than any other character, with eight in total. Versions * 1968, 1979-1982, 1985: Snoopy first appeared as "Aviator Snoopy." This Snoopy was very basic, only having a green aviator hat and goggles on his head. After being absent in 1983 and 1984, the character returned to the parade in 1985 to celebrate his 35th birthday; there he was depicted holding onto a list containing names of good boys and girls. * 1969-1978: Snoopy's second original balloon in the parade was as an astronaut, to commemorate the Apollo 11 space program. It uses a similar design to the previous Snoopy variant, but to simulate the appearance of an actual space suit, he wears a blue hat (looking like an astronaut's radio headset), blue boots, a backpack, and a red line on his white coat. * 1987: After being absent the previous year, Snoopy returned to the parade in a "Skating" variant. Here he wears a large Macy's branded stocking hat, a scarf, and a huge pair of ice skates. This Snoopy balloon also appeared as a plush toy sold at Macy's stores. * 1988-1995: In this balloon, Snoopy wears Macy's branded earmuffs, a green and white scarf, red ice skates, and a Macy's branded Christmas jumper. As a bonus, the company added a smaller balloon of his best friend, Woodstock, who wore a Macy's branded woolly hat. * 1999-2001: After a four-year hiatus, the Snoopy balloon returned in a "Millennium" variant that led the 1999 parade. This version has a jester's hat and appears to be blowing a gaudy horn which says "Macy's 2000." Like the 1987 version, this balloon also appeared as a plush toy sold at Macy's stores. * 2001 alternate version: In 2001, to mark the milestone being commemorated, Snoopy's horn now says "Macy's 75th Parade." * 2006-2011: After being absent from 2002 to 2005, Snoopy returned as a "Flying Ace" balloon, modeled after his best-known alternate persona, in which he wears a brown aviator hat, goggles, and a red scarf. Flying Ace Snoopy led the parade in 2006 and 2010. * 2013-2015: After disappearing the previous year, Snoopy returned to lead the 2013 parade with Woodstock perched atop his head. After it retired, the balloon is now used as a practice balloon for September/October test flights. Incidents In 1975 Snoopy hit a light pole and had to be removed from the parade. In 1980, Aviator Snoopy's leg broke due to a shard of glass and he could not fly at all. The following year the balloon had a noticeable gray patch on his leg. in 1982, Snoopy's tail was deflated. In 1985, the Santa Claus list came off the Aviator Snoopy balloon and fell onto the ground. However, the balloon itself was not damaged. In 1989, high winds caused Snoopy's nose to get punctured by trees before the parade started. Because of this accident, he had to be left behind and could not start on the march at all. Other appearances In addition to appearing as a balloon, Snoopy has appeared in the Macy's parade in a costumed-character version on a couple of occasions. In 2001, the beagle appeared on the 75 Parade Superstars float, celebrating the parade's special 75th anniversary, along with Kermit the Frog, Garfield, Smokey Bear, and other characters who had appeared as balloons in the parade but had been retired; the character's suit here was based on his 1987 "Skating" variant. In 2012, the costumed-character version of Snoopy returned on a "Snoopy's Doghouse" float, along with costumed-character versions of Charlie Brown and his friends Linus and Lucy van Pelt; the character reappeared on the float in 2016. Music * Generic Macy's music (1968-1982, 1985) * "Snoopy Come Home" (1987) * "Linus and Lucy" (Bell Version) (1988-1995) * "Linus and Lucy" (normal version) (1999-2001) * "Linus and Lucy" (Marching Band remix) (2006-2011, 2013) also used for Charlie Brown * "Linus and Lucy" (Upbeat) (2014-2015) also used for Charlie Brown. Category:Macy's Balloon Characters Category:Comic Book Characters Category:1968 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:1969 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:1987 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:1988 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:1999 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2006 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:2013 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Retired Balloons Category:Big Balloons Category:Dogs